The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-01-13
The MOON STORY.
History OF What Nay be Called the Most
Gigantic Hoax OF the Century.

| Gigantic Hoax of the Century.
The moon story. which appeared il
the fall of 1885 in the columns of tn,
New York Sun. was the most gigantic
newspaper hoax ever pcrpetrated. il
was known that Sir John Herschel had
gone to the Cape of Good Hope, to make
observations with new instruments OF
extraordinary power. Then there ap.
peared a series of papers describing
what Sir John had discovered. They
purpOrted to be copied from the pages
of a supplement to the Edinburg (Scot-
land) Journal of Science, exclusive cop
les of which had been received at the
Sun Office.
1t was known that the atmosphere OF
the Cape of Good Hope is unequaled
for purity. and OF course has CORE
spending facility of celestial observa-
ton, and when it was stated, what no.
body among Us could undertake to
deny, especially as it was said to be
confirmed by actual observation, tina.
the great object glass of the astrono-
mers chief telegraph was lens OF
seven tons weight. no great wonder
was; felt if the results from its use vera
unexampled. 1t was said, then, in the
alleged report of the great discov.
cries" that SO great was the magnify.
ing power of this instrument (42,O0s
times) that it could impart to objects al
the distance of the moon degree Of
visibility equal to that enjoyed by OBJ
iects on our earth not more than one hun
dred yards off This put it within St
Johns power TO view, not only thu
larger class of natural objects in thu
moon, but to see with ease the dwell
ings, animals, and even persons of thu
Lunarians, which he accordingly de
scribed.
The descriptions of Luna scenery al
believed. There was so much verisim
ilitude. such shrewl and apparently
accurate scientific phraseology, thai
scientists found it no easy task WIN
they should not give the story credence
But when there came descriptions of thI
web-wingS appended to the favOrite in
habitants of our satellite. cOnstitutin,
them in appearance Il sort of man-bat
strong scepticism of the whole stor,
was manifested. Edgar Allan Poe, thu
poet, speaking of'the immense success
of the ''mOon hoax" states THAT no
one person in ten discredited it, ant
(strangest point of alD the doubter
were chiefly those who doubted withou
being able to say why-the ignorant
those uninformed in astronomy, peOpb
who who would not believe because th
thing was SO novel, SO entirely out
the usual way A grave professor
mathematics in Virginia college tol'
me seriously that he had no doubt
the truth of the whole affair! The hoa,
was circulated to an immense extent
was translated into various languages
and was, upon the whole, decidedly thu
greatest hit in the way of sensation, o
merely popular sensation, ever madl
by any similar fiction either in Americi
or Europe"
The sceptics thought that they wOult
discover the truth or fiction of the myS
FERROUS story by the effect it would pro
luce in Europe, but the event was n
first by no means so distinct for then
or so unfavOrable to the credit of thu
story as might have been supposed. L
was read all over Europe with as keer
an interest as it had been here, and wal
made the subject of certain kind o.
even in the French Academy
of Sciences. when the great Arago al
Iength took it uDon himself, chiefly, a:
he said, out OF respect to the name and
honor of his friend, Herschel. to put an
upon it. Herschel himself
was first made acquainted with the lib
erty that had been taken with his name
by its being sent him amongst bundle
of miscellaneous New York newspapers,
obligingly furnished him by CaleL
Weeks, who had gone out from the
United States to the Cape for lot of
giraffes and other African animals for
his menagerie. He saw Immediately.
of course, the nature of the thing, treat
inc it @ood-naturedly.
James Gordon Bennett, of the New
York Herald was the first to charge the
Sun with the fabrication of hoax. and
the inventor of the story. who was edi-
tor of the paper, had to be very adroit
in dealing with the situation in such a
manner as to conduct the concentrated
Indignation and disappointment of the
public safely away. True or false, it
increased the circulation
Of the sun, but Mr. Richard Adam Locke,
IN Englishman. who was the author of the
hoax, never wrote any thing afterwards
which created much sensation. 1t took
4 long time to convince the public that
it had been deceived, and it was said
that some spinsters at Springfield,
Mass. took the story in such good earn
est that they commenced the establish
nent of missionary society for the con
version of the Lunarians.-Bcn:P erleg
POOre, in Boston Budget.
Aca DrxTrnno-